Australian Based American Registered Eclipse Aviation EA550 Bizjet N771MT Pops into Rockhampton Airport - Plus More!

On Friday 30 December, seemingly Australian based but American registered Eclipse Aviation EA550 Very Light jet (VLJ) bizjet N771MT made its first ever official visit into Central Queensland, visiting Rockhampton Airport from its Sunshine Coast base.

File photo

The Eclipse looked to arrive into Australia via Darwin in July this year (pictured) with it ultimately looking to take up residence on the Sunshine Coast.

Of interest, N771MT visited Kingaroy Aerodrome in early October - possibly its only other visit to the region.

Meanwhile, also on Friday 30 December, Jetstream Aviation (Emprja P/L) Cessna 550 Citation II VH-VDF arrived into Proserpine (Whitsunday Coast) Airport from its Sunshine Coast base.

Avcair (Avgunn) LearJet 60 bizjet VH-ILJ flew up from Brisbane to Mackay Airport, performing a pre-planned holding pattern before landing.  It then flew up to Townsville and Cairns.

Balmoral Air Dassault Falcon 2000LX bizjet VH-WIO visited Hamilton Island Airport once again, this time arriving from Bankstown via the Sunshine Coast.  It later returned directly to its Bankstown base.

And in the wee small hours, LifeFlight (Aeromed) Bombardier Challenger 604 bizjet VH-URR "Ambulance 604" flew from Townsville to Longreach Airport, Emerald Airport and then Rockhampton Airport before then flying back to Townsville.

Finally, also on Friday 30 December, Emerald Air Surveys P/L (Western Australia) Diamond DA42NG Twin Star VH-PXT was noted completing a couple of local flights out of and back to the Whitsunday Airport at Shute Harbour.  VH-PXT appears to have arrived into Shute Harbour from Jandakot, near Perth in Western Australia late last week and into the weekend, flying via Leonora, Ayres Rock and Birdsville.

VH-PXT also visited Shute Harbour in mid-November.

And locally-based Cessna 182T VH-ZCV departed Longreach Airport for Toowoomba.

Photo taken by Sid Mitchell  ©